When it comes to living a healthy, active lifestyle, it could be argued that weight loss is an important piece of the puzzle. While it’s not necessarily the best marker available to us to keep tabs on our overall well being, it can definitely play a role.
With that in mind, what are the most effective ways to maintain a healthy body weight?
Alongside keeping active and managing stress, being more mindful of our food choices is super important. And that doesn’t mean embarking on the latest fad diet or resorting to questionable weight loss supplements…
From my experience, meal prep and weight loss go hand in hand. It’s the near-perfect solution for anyone seeking more structure with their diet (without having to cut calories or place heavy restrictions on foods).
Read on to discover three top tips for healthy weight loss, the simple way.
What is Meal Prep?
Let’s start with the basics:
Meal prep is the simple act of preparing your meals ahead of time – usually a few days to a week ahead. The idea is that by batch-cooking and storing your food, you end up spending less total time in the kitchen.
You also don’t have to deal with the decision fatigue of figuring out what you want to eat three times a day, and you can be safe in the knowledge that you always have healthy, wholesome meals on hand whenever you need them. All big benefits we can get behind.
If you’re a complete newcomer to the meal prep game, check out our Ultimate Meal Prep Guide article for the lowdown on how to get started.
If you’re all clued up, let’s get stuck into the nitty-gritty on how you can add a healthy twist to your meal prep game, and even lose a little weight whilst you’re at it.
3-Steps to Meal Prep for Healthy Weight Loss
1. Opt For Ingredients That Promote Satiety
It’s a key component for healthy weight loss that all too often gets overlooked:
Eating for satiety.
The truth is, when you base your meal prep around certain foods, they can help keep you fuller for longer, stomp out cravings and prevent overeating.
What are some of the best?
Protein. It’s more than just a muscle builder. Protein intake has been linked in studies to enhanced satiety, metabolism and maintenance of lean muscle mass. Lean meats, beans, lentils, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds and good quality meats are great sources.
Fiber-rich foods. As well as being great for your gut, fiber has also been shown to reduce appetite and promote gradual weight loss. Some of the best sources include veg, fruit, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.
It’s widely agreed upon that non-starchy vegetables should also be at the top of your list of priorities. These foods are high in nutrients but are relatively low in calories.
What does that mean?
Essentially, it means they contain a large concentration of important vitamins and minerals per calorie, so you can fill up on them without having to worry about gaining weight.
In fact, several studies suggest that individuals who eat low calorie foods, such as fruits and vegetables, in place of high-calorie foods is a more successful weight loss strategy than simply cutting fat intake and restricting portion sizes. This is because smaller portion sizes aren’t always as filling and satisfying, which may lead to overcompensation later on in the day.
A few favorites to add to your shopping list include:
- Spinach
- Asparagus
- Beets
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Peppers
- Squash
- Tomatoes
- Celery
- Salad Greens
When you pile up the veggies into your meal prep containers, think about creating a rainbow. By shooting for a variety of colors, you can be sure you’re hitting all your micronutrient bases, and you get a variety of flavors to help keep things interesting.
Examples of Healthy Snacks
- Boiled egg with spinach leaves
- Dark chocolate (85%+) with blueberries
- Handful of nuts
- Green smoothie
- Apple with 1 tbsp almond butter
- Edamame beans
- Roasted Chickpeas
- Kale chips
2. Get Familiar With Appropriate Portion Sizes
Here’s the thing:
Whilst it’s important not to obsess over getting your portion sizes right to the gram, having a basic understanding of what a suitable portion size might be for your goals can often make things easier.
As we touched on above, going smaller isn’t necessarily always the answer. In fact, a 2012 study stated that:
“Serving larger portions of low-energy-dense foods can be used strategically to encourage their consumption and reduce dietary energy density, and this has been shown to be associated with decreased energy intake while maintaining satiety.”
If you’re not into measuring, the great news is that you can use your hands or a plate as a guide.
Going the handy route, a typical breakdown you might want to aim for would be:
- A palm-sized portion of meat or protein
- A fist-sized carbohydrate source
- A fist or two of non-starchy veg
- A finger of a healthy fat source
- A fist-sized portion of fruit for a snack or dessert
If you’d prefer to visualize your portions on a plate, a healthy spread might look something like:
- ¼ plate with a protein (chicken, fish, tempeh, tofu, beans)
- ¼ plate with a starchy carb (potatoes, whole grains, beans)
- ½ plate non-starchy veggies (spinach, salad, broccoli, asparagus, onions)
- Fat source as a dressing or sprinkled in with non-starchy veg (olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds)
3. Use Prepared Meals & Snacks to Encourage Healthy Behaviors
Preparation is The Key to Success
Convenience is both a blessing and a curse.
Having restaurants on every street corner and Uber Eats at your fingertips sure is handy when you’re in need of a quick bite, but it doesn’t always help you out if you’re looking to eat well and maintain a healthy weight.
The great news is that meal prep is a super-effective way of removing the temptation of eating out, as you already have something healthy prepared at home. No one wants to waste food (or money) so by being prepared ahead of time, you’re less likely to go for that takeout or binge at the buffet.
On a similar note, prepping healthy snacks can be a great way to reduce the likelihood of you popping to the vending machine during your work break and polishing off a candy bar (or three). Opting for home made beverages like kombucha, herbal teas or fruit-infused water over soda or sweetened drinks can make a big difference too. Check out the recipes below for inspiration!
These may sound like insignificant little tips, but sustainable weight loss is about making the little things count.
Sure – alone, these small changes may not do a whole lot. But when they’re combined together and performed consistently over weeks, months and years, that’s where the real secret to transformation lies.
How to Master Mindful Eating
Underlying all of the above is the practice of mindful eating. From my experience, how you eat is just as important as what you eat, but it’s something that’s easily overlooked.
The truth is, when you slow down, chew thoroughly and pay close attention to the food you consume, you’re more able to pick up on subtle cues from the body signaling that you’re full. You can then pause when you’re satisfied and store the leftovers.
It’s a big contrast to eating on the run and wolfing down your meal as quickly as possible, finishing feeling bloated and stressed out.
By practicing mindfulness, you’ll also become better at detecting when you’re truly hungry in the first place, versus simply eating out of habit or to combating certain emotions. True hunger is usually characterized by grumbling in the belly or a feeling of hunger in the throat, whereas false hunger often takes the form of a craving for a certain food (usually ones rich in salt, fats, and sugar).
When you feel like having that second snack of the day, if you’re able to take a step back, you may actually find you’re thirsty, bored or seeking some form of emotional support.
Just keep in mind:
Stating that you’re trying to become more in tune with your hunger isn’t a free pass to severely restrict food and starve your body of the nutrients it needs. That’s a slippery slope that we all need to be wary of.
Instead, think of mindful eating as a reminder to slow down, take a pause from the mental chatter and truly connect with your body.
Meal Prep for Weight Loss Recipes
Hot Recipes
One Pan Salmon, Asparagus, & Sweet Potato Dinner
Vegan Sweet Potato & Black Bean Shepherd’s Pie
Just The Protein/Protein & Veggies
Crispy Honey Orange Glazed Salmon
Fennel Crusted Pork Chops, with Apple, Peas & Lettuce
Chicken, Red Pepper & Almond Traybake
Just The Grain/Legume
Cold Recipes
Spinach Salad with Quinoa, Garbanzo Beans, and Paprika Dressing
California Chicken, Avocado, and Goat Cheese Salad
Cold Rice Noodle Salad with Crispy Teriyaki Tofu
15-Minute Chicken Shawarma Bowl
Snack Recipes
Sticky Almond Butter Granola Bars
Homemade Root Vegetable Crisps
Drink Recipes
Naturally Sweet Green Detox Juice
Lemon & Ginger Morning Detox Drink
Your Weight Loss Meal Plan
With all the above in mind, here’s a simple one day meal prep for weight loss plan that you can use as you see fit – as a one off trial, or for three days worth of healthy meals.
IG – A Day in the Life of Healthy Weight Loss
- 15 minutes morning stretching or yoga + 10 minutes meditation
- Breakfast – coconut chia bowl
- 130 minute lunchtime walk
- Lunch – Avocado Shrimp Salad Recipe
- Snack – Boiled egg and handful of grapes with spinach.
- 45 minutes evening exercise – weight training, running, swimming or team sports
- Dinner – Crispy Honey Orange Glazed Salmon with Quinoa + Salad
- Relaxation and early to bed!
